Born in Peru, Pauchi Sasaki is a violinist,
composer and performance artist whose
work spans different styles and disciplines.
She is a graduate of the Electronic Music and
Recording Media programme at Mills College
in California, and composes music for video,
film, theatre, dance, and site-specific projects
and installations. Her Rolex mentor is Philip
Glass, a master of minimalist music and
arguably the most popular classical composer
alive today.
How have you and Philip Glass interacted
over the year?
At the beginning, I followed him on tour
around Japan, Europe, California and
New York, which was fascinating, as his tours
demand a lot of teamwork, and it was really
useful to learn about the logistics behind the
scenes. Later we were able to get together in
New York, where we had the space and time
for wide-ranging talks, especially about music
and film. Philip is a great storyteller and
he’s worked with so many amazing people,
like Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese.
Has his mentorship had a practical side?
Right from the start, Philip told me that
I should be the owner of my music, and
that I needed to set up my own publishing
company, which I have done now. He’s also
helping with me a letter for the artists’
visa programme for the US.
How do you feel your work has developed
as a result of your discussions?
Philip is a very pragmatic person. He has
so many things to take care of, but he really
knows how to manage them without getting
overwhelmed. That ability and that kind
of wisdom is very inspiring for a young artist
like me. In terms of music, mine sometimes
is quite abstract, but his has a quality like
light – not without weight, but beautiful.
Little by little, perhaps, elements of my music
will emerge which will sound a bit happier,
and that may be his influence.
Do you have any performances coming up?
I recently performed with the American
Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, on
the same night that Philip presented his take
on Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. On 11 March I’ll
be at National Sawdust in New York as part
of Du Yun’s Pan Asian Sounding Festival, and
on 1 June I’m performing at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art as part of a suite of micro
commissions by Aizuri Quartet.
pauchi.comPauchi Sasaki
Mentor: Philip Glass
MUSIC‘I’M NOT GOING TO GIVE
HER THE LESSONS I GOT
FROM MY REAL TEACHER.
SHE’LL HAVE HER OWN
TEACHERS TO DO THAT.
BUT WHAT I CAN TELL HER
IS HOW TO USE HER TIME’
— PHILIP GLASS
Sasaki, in Harlem,
New York, with her
wearable sound
sculptures, Speaker
Dress No.1, 2016, and
Speaker Dress No.2,
2014, the latter designed
for flautist Claire
Chase. Also pictured is
equipment including
an acoustic violin (left),
and a self-designed
instrument, Extended
Violin, 2013 (right)
Intelligence